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The supersonic Bloodhound that wants to run at 1,000mph

Bloodhound SSC is expected to accelerate from 0-1,000mph in 42 seconds

Supercar is longer than four BMW Minis parked end to end

Took three years of painstaking aerodynamic work to build

Powered by a Eurofighter Typhoon jet engine plus a falcon rocket

Farnborough, England (CNN) -- It's got the same engine as a supersonic jet -- but the team working on the world's first 1,000mph supercar are hoping that it doesn't take off.

At 12.8 meters, the Bloodhound SuperSonic Car (SSC) is longer than four BMW Minis parked end to end, boasts solid titanium wheels and uses parachutes to brake.

After three years of painstaking aerodynamic work, the first full-size model of the British-built blue-and-orange vehicle had its first public unveiling Wednesday at the Farnborough International Air Show, south England.

Royal Air Force pilot Andy Green, the same man who drove Thrust SSC to the current land speed record of 763mph (1,228km/h) in 1997, is planning to test the car on a runway in England by the beginning of 2012.

The Bloodhound team expect the car to accelerate from 0-1,000mph ((1,610km/h) in 42 seconds and break the sound barrier.

Green, 47, told CNN: "As a pilot I am used to accelerating to 200mph and taking off, but as the driver of Bloodhound I am happy to say we are going to hit 1,000mph and stay firmly on the ground.

"During the week I'm an RAF pilot, but on the weekend I've got the best job on the planet as the world's only supersonic driver.

"It's a huge thrill to be at Farnborough in front of the world's most powerful aircraft and be the fastest thing here."

"We have a Eurofighter Typhoon jet engine plus a falcon rocket which gives us 47,000 pounds worth of thrust."

"But it's not just about breaking another record, we want to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers to push the boundaries of technology at supersonic speeds," said Green, who drives an old Volkswagen.

Mark Chapman, Bloodhound SSC's chief engineer, said: "From all the aerodynamic work we have done this year, the car is completely stable at mach 1.3. The car will also break the low-altitude air speed record and be the fastest manned vehicle at sea level in the world."

That previous record-holding car was built by Richard Noble, the project director for Bloodhound SSC.

The six-tonne supercar's exterior was developed by a team of aerodynamics scientists, whose research using computational fluid dynamics called on the processing power of one of Europe's most powerful computers.

If the test drive goes to plan in early 2012, then the car will be taken that summer to a dried-up lake bed in South Africa's Northern Cape for the attempt at the land speed record.